State Dept. sends Minn. hip-hop artist, Toki Wright to Africa

Wright heads the hip-hop studies program at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul.

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By Associated Press

Crookston Times - Crookston, MN

By Associated Press

Posted May. 6, 2013 at 11:00 PM

By Associated Press

Posted May. 6, 2013 at 11:00 PM

St. Paul, Minn.

The U.S. State Department is sending a Minnesota hip-hop artist to Africa as part of a cultural exchange program.

Toki (TOH'-kee) Wright will be in Sierra Leone for two weeks, starting Tuesday.

Wright heads the hip-hop studies program at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. While in Africa he'll work with aspiring young artists in the cities of Kenema and Freetown and perform with Sierra Leonean afro-pop and reggae star Emerson Bockarie.

Wright's trip is organized by the State Department's Arts Envoy Program. The program sends American arts professionals abroad to foster cross-cultural understanding.